This Superbowl is for the birds

Sunday

Feb 2, 2014 at 3:15 AMFeb 2, 2014 at 10:48 AM

"Twitchers in the Rye" and other bird-watching teams compete in the 11th annual Superbowl of Birding in Rye, a 12-hour bird watching competition that gathers hobbyists for the camaraderie and friendly competition.

By RICK B. DUMONTnews@fosters.com

RYE — The team awoke at 4 a.m. ready to take the field by 5 a.m. when the competition began on Saturday, January 25.

It was to be a long, cold and grueling day. Twelve arduous hours, to be exact.

The temperature was 14 degrees. The wind chill brought that down to five. There were four inches of snow on the ground. The only good news about the weather was that the visibility was 10 miles.

The warriors carried clipboards with game notes and checklists, their field gear slung over their shoulders as they tediously trudged together, single file, to take their offensive position for the first play of the game … careful not to cause their prey to take flight.

This team was on the hunt … not for Seahawks … but for owls. And any other flying species within the boundaries of the town of Rye.

Pam Hunt, team captain of “Twitchers in the Rye,” and three fellow bird enthusiasts, were competing in the 11th annual Superbowl of Birding hosted by the Massachusetts Audubon Society's Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport, Mass.

Hunt's team consisted of friends Becky Suomala, Pat Myers and Peg Ackerson, and they wanted to be at their “owling spot” at the crack of dawn.

Beginning at 5 a.m., and ending at 5 p.m., 137 people, making up 27 different teams took to the fields, forests and shores in an attempt to identify as many different species of birds as they could find, scoring points with respect to their rarity, in their quest for the grand prize — the coveted Nikon Joppa Cup.

The teams, each ranging from four to seven members, could compete anywhere they chose within two counties; Essex County in Massachusetts, and Rockingham County, New Hampshire.

Each team is led by a captain responsible for recording the species seen and/or heard, as long as the majority of the team is in agreement with the identification.

Each bird has a point value, from the commonly seen Mourning Dove valued at one point, to the rarely seen Yellow Bellied Sapsucker, which garners a whopping five points.

SUPERBOWL HEADQUARTERS

Dr. David Larson, Science and Education coordinator at the Mass. Audubon's Joppa Flats Education Center, begins his day at 4:25 a.m. The competition begins at 5 a.m. and the phone lines must be ready for action.

Official Superbowl of Birding rules dictate that any five point bird sighting needs to be called in by phone, and the first team to call in a species is awarded an additional three points. Eight points is a great way to start the game giving good reason for a birding team to be ready to pounce when the starter's gun fires.

As the morning progresses, while the sea-smoke is still lifting from Joppa Flats, staff members and volunteers arrive and begin hunkering down at their battle stations. Various tasks are carried out by staffers like Melissa Vokey, from producing name tags, raffle tickets and prize certificates, to organizing the tally sheets that will eventually reveal the winning teams.

At sunrise, Steve Mirick, captain of the Rockingham County team, “The 4th and Longspurs,” a spin on the football theme and the bird named Lapland Longspur, readies his warriors on their gridiron. Team members include his wife Jane, and friends Paul Lacourse and Kurk Dorsey. Mirick has captained this team since the inception of the Superbowl of Birding 11 years ago.

Mirick says, “Dawn is always the most exciting time of the day. Bird activity is at its greatest, and the promise of a full day of birding is in front of you. You often get lots of birds at this time.” Asked about the highlight of the day for his team, Mirick notes, “My wife Jane found a nice surprise bird, a Thick-Billed Murre off Great Boar's Head in Hampton. This species was not seen by any other teams and is a relatively rare bird that had not previously been reported.”

Team Avian Avarice, captained by Daniel Poalillo, is a five member birding team that drove from New Jersey to participate in this year's event. Dr. Larson explains, “This is actually a very good team who has won serious prizes in a much bigger event, the World Series of Birding in New Jersey. Of course, that statewide, 24-hour event takes place in May so it lacks the potential for hypothermia, snow blindness, and frostbite New England provides.

The New Jersey team did very well for a team that had little chance to scout out the area ahead of time, although they were the only team to not report a Snowy Owl.”

END GAME

The final whistle blows at 5 p.m. The battle-weary teams have made their way back to the Hope Community Church in Newburyport; Superbowl of Birding wrap-up headquarters.

Head judge and longtime volunteer Ann Gurka, assisted by her husband Gary, huddles with three other judges, as well as five assistant judges. Team captains submit their weather-worn and sometimes tattered checklists for review by these referees.

Supervolunteer Margaret de Give is quarterbacking the kitchen effort. Salads are being tossed, 75 pizzas are brought in from The Pizza Factory, and cookies and brownies provided by volunteers are plated.

Joppa Flats Sanctuary Director Bill Gette keeps the crowd buzzing and in the game by raffling off door prizes from sponsors like Birdwatcher's Supply and Lizzie Mae's Birdseed and Dry Goods Company.

GAME RESULTS

Finally, the scores are in. The Nikon Joppa Cup, awarded for most points, is won by Captain Paul Meleski and the Burger Kinglets, with 187 points and 88 species.

Steve Mirick and his 4th and Longspurs placed second overall, winning the Director's Cup. Their big accomplishment being Jane's sighting of the elusive Thick-billed Murre, earning them eight points.

Rockingham County proved to be a formidable playing field this day.

“Twitchers in the Rye” was thrilled to have two rare sightings; one being a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and the other a Brown Thrasher, both eight point additions to their score. Although they didn't win any trophies this year, they were still able to raise money with pledges for the NH Audubon Society, where team captain Pam Hunt is an avian conservation biologist. Last year they raised almost $2,000. Twitchers is the only team to have this angle on their participation in the competition.

Although data on the distribution of birds at this time of year is important, science is not the driving factor for holding the Superbowl of Birding. Rather, it's the camaraderie and friendly competition among the hobbyists. As Pam Hunt puts it, “It's another excuse to get out and have fun birding with friends in the otherwise “quiet” winter months.”